1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to mechanisms for initiating a rectilinear and horizontal movement in the opening direction of sliding doors and, more specifically, to an apparatus for effecting an initial, predetermined translation of a closed sliding door.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Users, in general, and especially persons who have restricted manual strength or ability, find it excessively difficult to detach and push away, from their closed positions, the existing sliding doors. Furthermore, when opening mechanisms are associated with locks and the users are not aware that the latter are latched, they apply an enhanced detachment force that instead of the “breaking of the weather seal”, could damage those mechanisms.
Attempts have been made to address the aforementioned problems and try, at least, to alleviate the existing situation. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,687 granted on Mar. 21, 2006 to Shedd et al. for a “SLIDING DOOR LOCK WITH SINGLE LOCK-RELEASE AND DOOR OPENING MOTION” describes a handle and lock assembly associated therewith. According to this patent, a sliding door is provided with a pivoted handle whose end is able to move angularly in a vertical plan between two stops. The sliding door incorporates as well an elongated bolt which extends vertically along the sliding door and is able to move between locking and unlocking positions. A locking mechanism is used and includes a motion converting and controlling mechanism which controls the vertical displacement of the elongated bolt. This mechanism comprises cams which cooperate with the elongated bolt and are associated with a rotary lock cylinder. When a force is applied against the handle, it causes the latter to rotate until it reaches a stop position. During the rotation of the handle, a hub is rotated causing a rotation of a driving gear which through other gears causes a downward movement of the elongated bolt into an unlocked, retracted position. Thus, the door is unlocked and ready to be open. A continued application of a horizontally directed force against the handle, when the latter is already in its unlocked position, causes this force to be effective in moving the door horizontally towards its open position.
The technical solution described in the above patent contains several shortcomings: 1) it is designed only for vertical locking mechanisms; 2) it cannot use conventional locking mechanisms, readily found on the market; 3) it is cumbersome; and 4) it is not provided with a mechanism for putting in motion a sliding door. Another example is United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0200370, published on Aug. 30, 2007. with Reithmeyer as inventor and with the title “GLIDING DOOR LATCH ASSEMBLY WITH ANTI-ACTIVATION MECHANISM”. The latch assembly includes an anti-activation mechanism that comprises a depressible trigger projecting from a face plate of the latch toward a target zone on a strike plate, opposed to the face plate. The latch is operable when the trigger is depressed and is prevented from being operated when the trigger is extended. As long as the strike plate and the face plate are basically aligned, the trigger engages and is depressed by the target zone of the strike plate when the door is slid shut, thus allowing the operation of the latch to latch and lock the door. If the door becomes downwardly displaced with respect to the door's jamb so that the latch might not securely capture the keeper if deployed, the trigger does not engage the target zone, but instead extends into a fault aperture and is not depressed. The resulting inability of a user to operate the handle to deploy the latch, serves as an indication to the user of a misalignment of the door that should be corrected. The main disadvantages of this latch assembly reside in the following: 1) it requires a special latch instead of a conventional one; and 2) the alignment operation is not followed or associated by a movement of sliding door into an open position. Yet another example is Great Britain Patent Application No. 2,130,293, published on May 31, 1984 under the title “DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM” and having as inventors Tindall et al. The mechanism, being adaptable for use in doors which open in one or two directions and in sliding doors, comprises a sliding bolt movable between a locking position in which it projects from a door surface and a release position in which it is retracted. When a door is closed, the sliding bolt on a leading edge of the mechanism is depressed, e.g. by abutment against a doorjamb or against another door or other solid object, so that opposed sliders are held together and the spring-biased sliding bolt can move through slots in those sliders to automatically lock the door. When door is opened by a sliding bolt release feature, the release of the sliding bolt allows the sliders to be pushed apart by a leaf spring, so that the sliding bolt is firmly engaged by the slots and held in its release position. A mechanism having a catch release button on the leading edge of the door is used. The mechanism is not associated with a lock and acts only as a trigger that is hand activated, but not hand controlled.